Irvine CA vs Sugar Land TX (best, cost, better, comparison)
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These seem like two very similar suburbs. They are both in the sunbelt, have an Asian population of above 40%. They also always rank highly in money magazine for schools and planned communities. I'm wondering which do you think is better overall. With some criteria to consider.
1. Housing
2. Schools
3. COL
4. Location
5. Parks
6. Where would you rather live?
I've been to Irvine many times, but never been to Sugar Land. I know that Irvine does well in schools and parks and poorly in cost of living. Interested to see what others say about the two.
In terms of the built environment, i.e. urban planning and architecture, Irvine takes the cake.
In terms of the natural environment, Irvine may have more open space, but the scenery and weather of Sugar Land is much better than Irvine. The only thing, weather-wise, that is worse along the Gulf Coast vs. SoCal is the hurricanes/flooding. Otherwise, Gulf Coast weather beats SoCal weather by a landslide.
In terms of the built environment, i.e. urban planning and architecture, Irvine takes the cake.
In terms of the natural environment, Irvine may have more open space, but the scenery and weather of Sugar Land is much better than Irvine. The only thing, weather-wise, that is worse along the Gulf Coast vs. SoCal is the hurricanes/flooding. Otherwise, Gulf Coast weather beats SoCal weather by a landslide.
I've lived very near Irvine, and now live very near Sugar Land.
Don't get me wrong, both communities are absolutely lovely, and the upper echelon suburban entities of their respective metropolitan areas (L.A. and Houston, respectively) in many respects. However, as safe as Sugar Land is, Irvine is even safer. As clean as Sugar Land is, Irvine is even cleaner. As great as public K-12 schools are in Sugar Land, they're even better in Irvine. As aesthetically pleasing and well-kept as Sugar Land is, Irvine is truly a master-planned city of (admittedly, often bland and sterile cookie-cutter) neighborhoods. As nice as the proximity to Houston is from Sugar Land, the proximity to the highlights of Southern California are all that more impressive from Irvine.
Moreover, UC Irvine exists, one of the best public universities in the U.S. There is no UT Sugar Land, or even UH Sugar Land, or even UH-Victoria Sugar Land Campus. There is the hellish Texas summer in Sugar Land, something our friends in Irvine thankfully have to never deal with given their Mediterranean climate. Irvine and Orange County has both a diverse population and diverse economy, whereas Sugar Land and Fort Bend County has just a diverse population (which admittedly may be more diverse than Orange County at this point).
Lastly, Irvine is in California. Sugar Land is in...yeeeeeeah, Texas.
As for the OP's criteria:
1. Housing: Sugar Land overall, for its overall excellent housing stock at a more affordable cost (related to COL below). However, Sugar Land does have a few sketchy apartment complexes, and it borders Missouri City and Stafford, which have some of the southwest Houston riff-raff very gradually creeping in these days. Now, Irvine is more "hikeable" and walkable, and is statistically the safest city in America, no doubt because of robust neighborhood watch programs and no-nonsense law enforcement. However, you have to be able to afford Irvine, or take out some crazy double mortgage nonsense otherwise.
2. Schools: Irvine, but not overwhelmingly
3. COL: Sugar Land, no question
4. Location: Irvine, no question. Irvine places you within less than two hours from Long Beach, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Palm Springs, Anza-Borrego, San Diego and its beach suburbs, and Tijuana (a city ever questionable, I admit). Make it within less than three hours, and you're in Santa Barbara, Joshua Tree and Ensenada. Travel two hours from Sugar Land and you're...near Corpus Christi...slightly past Victoria...maybe in Beaumont?! Yuck!
5. Parks: Irvine, no question. Even UC Irvine has a large park in its core. The Irvine Company has masterfully planned Irvine's communities to be effectively centered around its neighborhood parks, and the Great Park (though a government boondoggle) sits smack-dab on the old El Toro Marine base in Irvine.
Irvine for the win, clearly.
Last edited by AmericaBravoCharles; 11-03-2019 at 12:28 AM..
"You can always tell a Texan...........But you can't tell them much."
So if a Texan says the Sugarland has better scenery and weather than Irvine.............then by gawd Sugarland has better scenery and weather than Irvine.
As a metropolitan area, Houston is a lot rattier than Orange County. In my opinion, a better comparison would be Alpharetta, GA vs. Irvine, CA.
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